Heartbeat
by DrekkDeina
Summary: All it takes is the span of a single moment for everything to change for Marinette. Her late reaction to an oncoming disaster is saved only by the reveal of Chat Noir nearby... transforming as he leapt into action to save her. Now she knows and he knows that she knows. The real challenge is how to approach it. Reveal one shot and a little of each corner of the love square.


**So... been a hot minute huh? I should probably explain a few things and reasons for the why of my absence as of late.**

 **Welp... I'll give you a short bleeeeeeh explanation after this.**

 **Whatever the case, this weirdo is back and wanting to give you a Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir short/one-shot.**

 **Just another reveal fic and I don't plan to extend it. I mean... aside from the reveal, there isnt much to build upon. XD the reveal is the meat isnt it? Oh and the ever loving fluff and angst that comes with.**

 **Now then, read, fav, follow, review, and grab that strange snack. Been a while since I had to name one off but mine today is a peanut butter fudge smoothie with bananas in it.**

 **Also, a few things in my life have changed, affording me some much needed time and leeway to stop working myself into the dirt...**

 **That means I'm trying again to do the atreon with a "P" thing. I hope to dole out continuous updates with rewards to match, including peeks at progressive works and early access to chapter content (excluding ending chapters to a fic or major cliffhanger spoilers.) the name I use is Drekk Deina (with a space in the middle. lol.) If I get enough intrigue with it, I will do my best to add better rewards and take suggestions as to how those will work.**

 **Anywho... you guys wanna read this thing. enjoy.**

* * *

A split second, a blink of an eye,... a heartbeat…

That was all the time that it could take to change everything for worse, for better, or to simply save a life.

Akumatized victims and their powers came in all shapes and varieties. A few weren't even known to be there until a catastrophe actually occurred.

This was one such event. All that was known is a corrosive fog exploded out from near the Eiffel Tower and then a heavy creaking echoed across the fog, wreaking havoc on eardrums and causing worrisome glances to be made all around by Parisians that heard it.

No one could see through the fog though. It was a sickly green and too dense to pierce with eyes alone.

Marinette was out with her class, taking a short trip around the tower for some sort of history lesson. She was honestly too far preoccupied to pay any real attention to why they were there.

Adrien was the focus of her attention, as per the usual.

Unfortunately… when the fog hit, she was separated and lost sight of everyone, groping in the cloud for something to keep steady.

The fog dissipated well enough to see a few meters in most directions…

...including up…

She gasped as the blue-eyed girl had but a single blink to understand what descended upon her. A split second of recognition.

 _Thump._

A single resounding heartbeat that reflected the life she was possibly going to lose.

Above her and too close to dodge, too little time to transform to protect herself, was the Eiffel Tower itself, ready to crush her with it's overbearing weight.

Saying her life flashed before her eyes would be a bit of an overstatement. Only the memories of her recent life and love came to the surface, making their final imprint upon her mind before it was lost.

"Plagg! Claws out!" came the shout of a familiar voice near her.

In that brief moment, Marinette looked towards the source of the voice, seeing Adrien having leapt towards her, fist held upright with the glint of a silver ring helping her lock onto his muddled form through the fading fog.

As a cascading wave of black and green energy enveloped him, it didn't take her any time to understand what was happening.

Adrien was Chat Noir.

His superhero form was barely complete in time to tackle into her, expertly rolling with her wrapped in his arms and reflexively finding a safe spot to hunker down as the twisted tower of steel fell upon them.

Beams and bolts fell around them, with Chat sheltering Marinette from any stray debris, of which was hitting Chat, causing him to grunt and groan slightly.

"Ad… Chat!" she called out, unsure what to address him as. "Are you okay?!"

He grunted in pain again.

"I'm fine… ugh… Princess," he tried to confidently say. "Just hold on a second."

Splaying out an arm, his fingers cupped, the black clad superhero called out, "Cataclysm!"

The dark orb of energy hovered in the air, his claws clasping it, whereas he then swiped his claws around.

He got all the beams and supports within his reach, allowing the destructive power to turn most of the tower around the duo into dust.

Thankful as she was, Marinette was still trying to get a grip on herself, unable to properly take in the rather abrupt revelation she just witnessed.

"Ch-Chat…" she stuttered, barely able to call out to him.

He turned to her and grinned, commenting in passing, "Sorry, Princess. I'll have to leave you here for now. Gotta disperse this fog and see what's up."

"Ohh… but… uh…" Marinette squeaked, reaching out to grab at his shoulder, but stopping short.

Chat gave her a softer, more Adrien-like smile, voicing more quietly to her, "We'll talk later… I promise."

Pulling out his baton and extending it, he vaulted into the sky and went off to find higher ground to survey the damage, as well as locate whatever cased it.

"Ugh…" the bluenette groaned to herself, trying to keep her wits and focus on the matter at hand. This wasn't the time for her be suffering a clouded mind when the air itself was already so.

She darted off for cover to transform, mind still trying to almost painfully split itself from thinking about two near and dear people in her life being merged into one entity now.

Tikki phased out of the bag, looking a bit worried as she spoke, "We need to go, Marinette!"

"But Adrien… he… he's…" Marinette began, cut off once more by the kwami.

"I know… but you need to focus on the threat now."

Lips pressing together in a resigned pout, she made sure she was out of sight and called out, "Tikki, Spots on!"

In a flash of transformative red and white light, Ladybug was leaping into action and swinging up and out of the fog.

From a new vantage point, she was able to see Chat Noir vaulting and jumping well ahead of her, having pinpointed where the trouble was coming from. The spotted superheroine made to pursue, slowly catching up with her partner.

She landed next to the black clad hero, trying to sound confident in the face of her revelation as she asked, "What's the trouble this time?"

Without missing a beat, as if his own faux paw hadn't fazed him in the slightest, he replied, "Well hey there, Bugaboo. We have some sort of mechanically inclined Akumatized victim that looks like a rust bucket robot. Ah… Rust Bucket. How's that sound, Milady?"

Chat's eyebrows bounced as his grin grew, looking for a response from Ladybug.

Her usual deadpan expression was missing, retorts and sass lost in the moment of seeing Adri… Chat Noir so close and calling her 'Milady', 'Bugaboo', and also remembering him calling her 'Princess' earlier as Marinette.

Shaking her head, she recovered, noticing her partner had a growing expression of concern on his face.

"Milady?" he asked.

"Sorry, Kitty… Sounds great, but how about we figure out how to take him down?"

"Her," Chat corrected her. Sure enough, Ladybug took a second look and nearly facepalmed at not noticing. The person causing a ruckus was very clearly of a feminine form. Wait…

"I think I recognize her," she voiced.

"Me too," her partner stated, musing with her. "Isn't she Jacqueline, that salvage yard mechanic?"

The Akuma reared an arm back and lobbed some sort of grenade down the street, with it exploding into a gas cloud that ate away at all metal.

Street lamp poles and signs began to decay and rust, falling apart and over.

"We'll figure it out when we take her down," the superheroine mentioned with finality, getting her yo-yo ready.

"As you wish, Ladybug," Chat remarked in his carefree tone with a lopsided smile.

0000000

Nearly half an hour of fighting, evading, and coming up with another strange, yet grand, plan to win the day, the two emerged victorious once more.

It turned out that the city was deciding whether it was going to assume ownership of Jacqueline's father's salvage yard, after some neighborhood complaints about the heap of rubbish dropping property values in the area. Her father stood to lose his livelihood and potentially his home if that happened, making her very distraught at the prospect.

After getting her home quickly, before their transformations expired, her father was able to give her news that they could clear out the offending mess, as a recycling firm offered to take much of the salvage and pay them for the scrap, working out for them and resolving the complaints against them.

Ladybug did her best to get out before Chat Noir, trying to preemptively detransform and wait as Marinette for him back where he left her.

Now coming out from an alleyway nearby and rejoining her class, she only just arrived in time to see Chat leap behind a building on the opposing side of the street. She didn't quite catch a flash of light, but several seconds later, a blonde head peeked out from around the corner, curious eyes looking to see the coast was clear.

Adrien spotted Marinette, who tried to pretend she hadn't noticed him by looking away anxiously, still trying internally to wrap her head around everything. It was tough enough trying to defeat an akuma with her mind on the current problem plaguing her.

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw the blonde give her a smile and shake his head, knowing she was trying to be nice about things. He sauntered out in the open, rejoining the class.

Before the two could exchange any looks or even mutter a single word to one another, Nino interjected with, "Dude! Where did you go? I thought you got crushed by the Eiffel Tower."

"Oh… yeah, that was…" Adrien nervously replied softly, a hand on the back of his neck and eyes averted.

"You too, Mari!" came Alya's voice almost directly in her ear, making the girl jump with a 'Yahhh!'

Marinette fell over in response, Alya showing quite the lack of surprise on her face.

"Geez… that was right in my ear," she complained, her auburn haired friend helping her up.

"Well, last I saw you was when that thing came down," came the worried tone of her best friend. "I thought you were trapped or worse."

Her eyes darted to Adrien, who pursed his lips in slight concern.

"I… Chat Noir saved me, and he told me to stay put until the fog was dispersed," she explained. "With all the debris and so much fog… I was bound to trip or run into something… so I did as he asked."

Her friend's arms crossed as an expression of relief mixed with dissatisfaction came to her face. She then sighed.

"I'm still not happy with that excuse… but fine."

The class was dispersed for the day, with everyone either returning to the school or making their way home.

Marinette hurried home, unsure how she would face Adrien… Chat Noir… either? Both?

Without company, she began to finally think about everything that happened and what it meant.

Adrien is Chat Noir… Chat Noir is Adrien…

She began to merge all her memories of the two as memories for one person. She would talk and banter without stuttering with Adrien… she has repeatedly been close to his face when he would save her from villain's shooting at them with all kinds of strange magical abilities… she even kissed…

"Oh my goodness! I kissed him!" Marinette screamed, immediately blushing hard and looking around to see who heard her. Her luck held somewhat, as she realized there was no one around.

All the blood felt like it was draining from rest of her body and pooling in her face, ready to turn it into a burning inferno of embarrassment. Her legs even felt like jelly as she couldn't move forward anymore.

Taking a step, the bluenette didn't quite realize the curb ended and fell forward, her heart skipping a beat or two as she cried out.

An arm wrapped around her middle and abruptly pulled her back, keeping her steady.

"Woah there, Marinette," a familiar voice spoke in her ear. It was almost too much for her to bear as she turned to see Adrien inches from her face. She backed away and ran a hand along her hair, brushing an errant bang back as she couldn't look him in the eye.

"T-thanks…" she barely muttered in response. "I'm just a bit… distracted."

"Yeah… I know what you mean," the boy remarked with an air of uncertainty to his voice. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that, if you're free?"

"Wh-what? Oh! Yes! Of course," Marinette stuttered and blurted, her hands moving erratically. "What did you need?"

"I just needed to ask… if you saw anything earlier?" the blonde asked, trying to keep his inquiry coy. She figured he was trying to remain vague in case she hadn't seen him transform. Her Ladybug side was glad he was trying to follow up and make sure his identity is hidden, though her Marinette side had absolutely NO clue how to approach the problem.

"I… uh… there was… I mean…" she began, trying her best to come up with something on the spot. The girl finally let out a sighing groan and belted out, "I'm sorry… I did see."

It was Adrien's turn to sigh in resignment.

"Yeah I figured…"

He gave her a soft smile, trying not to seem angry or resentful towards her for knowing.

"I had barely any time and my transformation would have slowed me down… so had to leap and transform, hoping I could save you in time."

"So you're really…?" Marinette asked, leaving it open-ended in hopes he would try to deny it.

"Chat Noir…? Yeah…" the boy confirmed with a hand rubbing the back of head nervously.

The bluenette's mind was still filtering through all the experiences she had with both sides of Adrien, with his confirmation making it all the more real… including…

...her heart nearly stopped entirely as she remembered something crucial.

Chat had twice attempted to profess his love for her… for Ladybug. Adrien was in love with her.

"Marinette? Marinette?" Adrien tried to call to her, waving a hand in front of her face to gain her attention. The girl was hopelessly lost, face ablaze and unable to speak.

"Y-YES!" she squeaked, doing her best to ground herself back in the real world.

Whether he chose to write her reaction off as normal, part of her surprise about his identity, or whatever else she couldn't guess, Adrien continued by saying, "I know it's probably not something you expected of me or maybe even that was within the realm of pawsible to you… but I would like it very much if you…"

"...keep your secret?" Marinette finished for him, finally getting a semblance of a grip on her wits.

The boy winked and touched his nose to confirm she is right.

"I already have one life full of crazy fans who know where I live and go to school," he explained. "And I promised Ladybug to protect my identity as best I can."

"Oh… N-no worries!" the girl blurted reflexively. "I promise not to tell anyone. Promise!"

Adrien grinned in a very Chat-like manner, throwing Marinette for a loop once more. She was suppressing the urge to fire back her trademark Ladybug glare, but bit her lip instead.

"You said promise twice," he teased.

She wordlessly nodded, trying to take a deep breath and collect herself further. It felt like every moment in his presence was giving her more to be a stammering, blushing mess about.

"Because I meant it," she voiced.

"So… need someone to walk you home?" Adrien offered. "You seem a bit… unsteady? At least more than usual."

"I'll be fine. Thank you, Adrien," Marinette managed to get out without stuttering. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, Marinette."

At that, he turned around and began to walk away, waving her goodbye.

She reached out, wanting to stop him, but she couldn't find any real reason to keep him any longer.

0000000

At home, the bluenette was between solemn silences, thinking hard, and nearly hyperventilating when she kept focusing on certain things.

Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug.

She is Ladybug.

Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste.

Therefore… Adrien is in love with Marinette.

She squealed in delight and disbelief.

If she hadn't seen him transform, hadn't heard him profess his love to her recently, Marinette would never have been able to take it in. The teenager could barely do so as it was.

"Marinette?" Tikki called to her charge, trying to distract her from her own thoughts.

"Yes, Tikki?" came her reply rather monotonously, tired eyes scanning down to where the kwami floated.

"Now that you know… what're you going to do?"

The girl felt unsure of what to say, though her mouth spilled out words faster than she could think about what was being said.

"I have no clue!" Marinette exclaimed, venting not at Tikki, but just in general. "I can't exactly just go up to him and say 'Hey Chat Noir… guess what I found out today?', since it's clear that only one witness seemed to see him transform. I would be outed on the spot. And then there is the problem that not telling him feels like I'll be lying to him… which I don't want to do. What if I let it slip? Call him the wrong name? Or even mention some sort of detail about our lives at school that he could pick up on? Soooo many things could go wrong and I haven't the slightest clue about how to…"

"Marinette!" Tikki's tiny voice interjected, the kwami looking far from amused. "Remember that you have patrol with him this evening. It's best to try coming up with some sort of plan. Whether you act normal or have a way to diffuse the situation is up to you."

The bluenette stiffened, forgetting that she was to see him only a while later. She vented her breath in a deep sigh, trying to remain calm. Calm for her at least.

"I guess I'll try to act normal," she muttered. "...at least until I can find a way to approach this situation."

"Alright. Ready?"

"I suppose I don't have much choice," the teenager relented, a tone of resolve affirming her course of action. "Tikki, Spots on!"

0000000

Chat Noir was perched upon a steamvent, looking over his ring and wondering a few things to himself.

Before coming here, he tried to get help from his kwami, though Plagg only really groaned and complained, griping about cheese to avoid talking about the lost cause of his predicament.

' _She promised right? And you trust her? Then why are you still bothering me about it?'_ was the tiny black creature's last mention before stuffing his face with camembert that rivaled himself in size.

Sure, he trusted Marinette to keep a secret, though it wasn't like he had a list of examples to call upon regarding that. He began to wonder if he should tell his Lady. She wouldn't be that angry, right?

He groaned in frustration. He couldn't lie to her, so he felt he had little choice but tell her.

Without much time to ponder that line of thinking, Ladybug swung in and landed, with all due grace. Chat smiled at her warmly, the uneven grin he wore being far more carefree than the one he showed off for the camera as Adrien.

"Well, good evening, Milady," he remarked to her, leaping down and bowing dramatically, grasping her hand to kiss it. Usually, she would give him a snide grin and cheekily push him away. However… this time…

...Chat was genuinely surprised at the bemused and flabbergasted expression Ladybug wore. A blush tainted her cheeks and eyes seemed far off and hazy. Unsure of what to do, he gently released her hand and took a few steps back to give her space. It was hard for him to tell if he did something wrong or if she was just too distracted to react normally to his antics.

"H-hello, Chat," she finally croaked. To him, her voice sounded faint and barely audible.

"Anything bothering you, Ladybug?" Chat Noir asked, trying to seem his usual self. His problems could wait. If she had any, he wanted to help as best he could.

"Sorry," the spotted heroine spoke, her tone rising in volume and confidence once more. "I just had a long and somewhat tiresome day. Nothing really bad, just long."

Putting a hand on her hip and cocking said hip, Ladybug gave him the usual smirk as she continued, "Ready for patrol, Kitty? Or did you need a few for a catnap?"

"Ha ha," he replied in sarcasm. Chat's expression seemed to become more neutral as he came to a decision. "Actually… I needed to tell you something."

The black clad superhero assumed she might admonish him for another potential attempt at earning her ardor, though she seemed oddly stoic and made no moves to interrupt him or assume his motives.

The silence made him stumble over his words as he used a hand to grip his other arm awkwardly, unable to look his partner in the eye as he continued, "I might have… accidentally revealed who I am to someone… today."

He heard her take and breath, his eyes wincing as he fully expected to get an earful in the form of a lecture on how important it is to be careful with their identities.

To his surprise and mild shock, she simply sighed, Chat's eyes looking upon Ladybug's face and seeing…. Relief? Why wasn't she bringing down a figurative hammer upon his head?

"So…" she began, looking more composed than he preferred, given the news. Somehow, her calm form in the face of this news was more unnerving than the anger he expected. "...what did you do about it?"

"I… uh… I talked to them… and we reached an understanding…" Chat mumbled, looking for some form of cues to discern what his Lady was thinking.

"Understanding?" she repeated, crossing her arms and pouting. "What? Like blackmail?" She wanted to at least make an attempt to sound like she didn't know exactly what went on.

"Huh? No no no! Nothing like that," the boy defended. "She's someone I know and trust. She won't tell anyone. I'm sure of that."

Ladybug smiled softly, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"Well… alright then. I trust you can handle it," she comforted him, though her expression became slightly stern after a second or two. "However, you need to be more careful. We can't let our identities be known by anyone. Even each other."

That should have made him reaffirm his resolve, or at least that was the plan in Ladybug's mind… however…

For Chat Noir, it brought back an issue that he had long since tried to ignore for her sake, but her words just now seemed to agitate him with it again.

"But you know who everyone else is…" Chat said, hanging his head slightly, his tone one of hurt and uncertainty. "Rena Rouge and Carapace. I didn't hear anything about Master Fu for a long while and if Chloe weren't in need of attention… I'm sure that her identity would have been your secret too. So, what's the harm in showing you mine?"

His eyes weren't full of malice or anger. Instead, Ladybug could see a very hurt and lonely expression on his face. It was almost as if Chat's expression alone was begging her to let him entrust her with his greatest secret as a hero.

She couldn't do it though. The spotted heroine might have already known as her alter, but as Ladybug, she needed to remain steadfast in acting as if she was ignorant.

"I'm sorry, Chat… I can't do that for you. I know it's…"

Her eyes bulged as Chat's eyes became downcast, a glazed and far off look seeming to snap something inside.

The boy reached down to his ring laden hand, a finger tracing over the ring as he seemed to think.

"What if I just pulled off my ring here? Now?" he mumbled, as if the idea was more for himself than her to hear.

"Chat, No!" she called out, stepping forward with a hand outstretched. Ladybug quickened her pace as he began to wrestle with the ring, clasping her hands around his to keep them from moving.

Chat didn't even look up as he tried to shake her hands off and continue pulling the ring off his finger.

"Adrien, Stop!" Ladybug called out, her and his eyes going wide. She instantly clapped her hands over her mouth, fear settling deep into her heart.

The cat based hero froze, eyes locked onto his partner's and mouth hung open, no words able to come out. He bit down on his lower lip, trying to figure out what to make of all this.

The bluenette was frozen as she witnessed the eyes of her partner go from shock to hurt… to betrayal.

"You… you knew?" he barely whispered, his question almost sounding like a plea for her to take it back, say it was a joke, or somehow tell him he heard wrong.

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, his hands now preoccupied with trying to hide his face from her. He couldn't cry in front of her. He had to smile. He would always smile for her.

Chat forced a grin, giving his Lady only more reason to worry as his eyes told a vastly different story.

"I'm… I'm sorry… but I think I'll be going home for tonight," he spoke, voice faltering, but still trying to keep up the confident tone he was known for.

"Wait!" she shouted, finally finding her voice. "I didn't mean… that was…"

"What?!" Chat shouted, his facade cracking, along with his voice. "What did you mean?"

"I don't know… I just…" Ladybug tried to explain, but no words came. Not only was her partner becoming increasingly angry with her, but her crush as well…. Two important people in her life and both were one person that felt betrayed by her.

"Please tell me something, Ladybug…" he pleaded, a tear finally falling, "...because right now… it looks as if you have known a lot more than you were telling me all along and have either kept secrets from me that I should be privy to… or you've lied to me about many things. I don't want them to be true…"

"It's… complicated… but I can…" she tried to detail, but Chat Noir turned abruptly and leapt away, his baton extending to expedite the process, his intent clearly to get away from her.

"Chat!" Ladybug called out to him, whipping out her yo-yo and swinging after him.

The superheroine was greatly unfocused and ended up missing her target on her third swing, falling and tumbling on the street. Heaving breaths made it hard to recover, with the black clad blonde disappearing into the night and between some large buildings in the distance.

She tried to recover but she knew that it was highly likely that she wouldn't catch up.

0000000

Chat Noir dived from rooftop to rooftop, taking turns and juking as often as he could. Outrunning Ladybug wouldn't be an easy task, but he needed to get away.

He was so afraid. Afraid and exposed. She already knew who he was and it made him doubt more than he really wished his mind would think about. Finding an alleyway nearby, he dove in and made sure there was no one around before saying, 'Claws in'.

Plagg erupted from the ring like a deflating balloon and landed in his open palms.

"So… what now?" the little kwami asked.

"I… I don't know," Adrien mumbled.

"You know that detransforming won't hide you if she already knows, right?"

The blonde facepalmed. He was so used to the practice of getting away like this from anyone and everyone while Chat Noir, that he spaced on the idea that Ladybug could still find him.

"Can you transform again?" Adrien asked, patting his pockets for the disgusting cheese, unable to find any, of which he figured he forgot with everything distracting him today.

"Not without my sweet camembert! Now gimme!" Plagg goaded, diving into the boy's pockets.

"I don't think i brought any… sorry," he remarked, sounding utterly defeated.

The little black cat kwami sighed and floated in front of him, not wanting to make the boy feel any worse than he already did.

"It's ok… but we are pretty far from the house," Plagg told him, prompting the blonde to perk up and look around. He was right. He knew where they were but it was quite a ways from home. Even if he could get home easily… it wasn't like he could just waltz past the security gate without arousing quite the panic and suspicion about where he had been and why he was out so late.

An idea struck though.

"Marinette's house is near ours," Adrien mentioned. "Maybe she can help us with your cheese and we can sneak back in before anyone realizes we're gone."

Plagg's face contorted with a mixture of emotions and reservations that the blonde couldn't quite place. The creature perked up and let out a breath, as if trying to shrug it off.

"As long as I get fed, I'm good. Let's go."

0000000

Ladybug landed rather heavily on her rooftop, extensively tired and wanting nothing more than to collapse. As much as she wanted to look for Chat Noir…. Adrien, she knew he would go home where it would be useless to visit. Either that or she wouldn't be able to find him unless he wanted.

"Spots off," the bluenette said in a dejected tone, allowing her transformation to fall and lowering herself into the trapdoor to her room.

She instantly groaned loudly and fell face first onto her bed, tears beginning to fall and be absorbed into her pillows.

"I screwed up so badly, Tikki…"

"It's nothing you can't fix…" the kwami spoke, trying to comfort her charge with pats from her tiny paws.

"But he doesn't even want to speak to me," came her muffled murmur from the bed, face still planted firmly into her sheets and pillows.

Tikki's eyes went wide as she bolted under a pillow, not even given enough warning to tell Marinette before…

 _Tap tap tap_

Marinette bolted upright, reddened eyes focusing on the tap coming from….

...her balcony window?

The bluenette's eyebrows arched up, clearly confused.

Once her eyes adjusted once more, she gasped and quickly unlatched the door to let Adrien in.

He doubled over, gasping.

"It's a lot harder to climb those without my powers…" he jokingly lamented.

"Uh… I… I bet," she replied in a stammer. Even now, when it was important that she remain collected, she couldn't keep it together.

 _At least it'll seem normal,_ Marinette mused sadly.

"Um… what brings you to my balcony?" she inquired in a low tone, brushing some errant bangs from in front of her red eyes.

Adrien stopped and gasped slightly.

"I'm sorry, Princ… I mean Marinette," the blonde began. "I didn't even stop to think if I would trouble you… and you look… are you… okay?"

She desperately wished to apologize, to give him a hug and beg for forgiveness… but it wasn't time for her to reveal herself. Not like that.

"I'm fine," the girl replied simply, rubbing an eye. He stopped her, using a thumb to wipe the corner of her eye and any tears away.

"You don't want to irritate those pretty eyes, do you Princess?" he lightly chastened her, smiling.

A watery giggle came forth, unable to resist taking joy in the complement.

"So… what's wrong?" he pursued, sitting down and motioning her to do so as well.

"I made a mistake," she belted out, carefully choosing her wording. "I think I may have hurt a friend today."

Marinette was afraid to look Adrien in the eye. She knew what happened was still fresh on his and her mind, making seeing his pained expression too much for her to bear.

Nevertheless, she couldn't _not_ look, with her eyes involuntarily looking at him with a few flickering glances.

Her heart sank.

He was smiling.

That smile she's seen all too often when he tries to hide his feelings or when having to leave abruptly because his father demanded it. It only hit her now, knowing why he wore it this time, how much pain he hid beneath it.

Why had she never taken notice of it before?

That fake smile…

...she wanted to heal the pain beneath it.

"You're a kind girl, Mari," he spoke. "I'm sure you'll be able to fix it. I haven't known anyone that can stay mad at you."

Tears threatened to overtake her again at the irony to those words.

"In fact…" Adrien started once more, reaching in his pocket. "...maybe you would like your lucky charm back to help?"

The blonde pulled her charm out from his pocket, with Marinette looking to him and then the charm. She about reached for it, stopping when she saw his smile falter, lips quivering in a desperate need to shed the mask he wore.

"You look like you need it more than me," the bluenette told him, closing his hand around it.

"Maybe you're right…" he agreed, opening his hand to look at the charm again.

Something dark and fluttering flew over Adrien's shoulder, with Marinette's eyes bugging out as she gasped.

"Akuma!"

Before the blonde could properly react, with a small 'huh?' leaving his lips, the Akuma entered the charm, the second time it was used as a medium. His face became stoic, a dark hue lining his eyes.

" _Ah… dear Adrien," cooed Hawk Moth, "betrayed by those who claim to be his friends. Wouldn't it be great to forget those bonds and take away the pain? Or better yet… I shall grant you the power to trap them as reminders of the pain they caused, so you will never feel it again. All I need from you is to get Ladybug's and Chat Noir's Miraculouses."_

"Adrien!" Marinette yelled at him, shaking his shoulders in his telepathic reverie. "Don't give in. Fight it!"

" _You will be Model Mirror."_

Adrien was oddly quiet in all of this, unmoving and not even replying to Hawk Moth, who was beginning to wonder if giving into the urge to akumatize his own son was worth the risk.

He didn't know the exact source of his emotional distress, but his ability afforded him a general idea of what ailed his victims. So, it allowed him leeway to give victims powers befitting what they desired while still giving him something to work with when demanding that the miraculouses be acquired.

On the other side of things, Marinette was desperately trying to figure out what to do to bring her Chat back.

Her hands now cupped the quiet blonde's face, looking at the pained expression he held.

" _Give in… and I will give you the power to overcome your pain. To be stronger for it."_

"I…" Adrien began to speak, his voice hoarse as he seemed conflicted. Tears fell and his smile crumbled.

Not knowing what else to do, the bluenette ran her hands underneath the blonde's jaw, tilting his head up, her heartbeat thundering in her ears as she didn't know what else to do.

Her idea might be due to guilt or some sense of longing, but she hoped it would at least shock him to reality once more.

Turning her head to the side, she pressed her lips to Adrien's, causing him to go wide-eyed and hum in surprise.

Hawk Moth went slack jawed, never before having such an event happen at such a crucial moment.

" _I… uh… right. Let's… get back to the subject at hand…"_

She released his lips and his face, with Adrien finally speaking now.

"I don't want to hurt anyone… especially my friends…" he croaked.

The suited villain sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and pressing his lips into a thin line. He shouldn't have done this. It was a terrible idea.

" _Enough… I can see I have failed. Next time then." he told the boy._

The charm lost it's dark purple hue, with the akuma leaving and the blonde model nearly collapsing onto Marinette. She caught him and held him close, raking her fingers through his hair as Tikki and Plagg zipped out of their hiding spots to close the balcony door.

Thankfully, Adrien was too preoccupied to notice as they did so.

"Are you still with us?" she whispered in question to him. Her eyes flitted to Tikki, who appeared to be searching around for something, subsequently giving her vague hand signals.

Upon seeing the bluenette's confused expression, she rolled her eyes, picking up her phone and typing something out.

 _Akuma is gone. We are safe. You are free to tell him if you want._

Her face became one of recognition, with Marinette using a free hand to give the kwami a thumbs up.

Tikki then set the phone down and zipped away to hide before the blonde decided to look around.

"I think so…." came his hazy reply. "So… that's what that feels like."

"I'm so… so so sorry, Adrien," cried out Marinette.

"Why are you…" the boy began, before his phone began to ring…

He panicked and saw it was Nathalie.

"One sec, Mari," he told her with guilt lining his voice. "Yes…?"

" _Where have you gone off to? Your father is worried and we found you weren't in your room…"_

"I... there was…" Adrien looked to the bluenette and took a deep breath. "I was trying to help a friend who needed me. I'm sorry I snuck out… but can you tell father I'm sleeping over at Nino's while on a group project." His heart clenched pretty hard. He pulled that excuse out of nowhere and he hardly expected it to work.

Just when he expected a very abrupt rejection of the proposal…

" _Your father says it's alright this one time, as long as it is studying,"_ Nathalie relayed over the phone. " _Just be sure to make arrangements next time with better planning. That's what schedules are for."_

"Wait… really? I mean… thank you!" the now smiling teenage boy excitedly spoke over the phone. With an affirmative 'Hmm', the line went dead and Adrien collapsed onto his seat once more.

Marinette was ready to burst, tears falling as she gripped Adrien's arm and resumed her apology, "I'm so sorry, Adrien. This is all my fault. Everything is my fault."

"What…?" replied a stunned Adrien. "I was the one who…"

"But I… I'm... hah… I'm Ladybug," she breathed. The arm she gripped tensed up. Without meaning to, she tightened her hold on him, deathly afraid he would cast her aside and run again. "I'm Ladybug."

"Then… you saw me… and then earlier…" he began, with her too afraid to look at his face. He deserved this truth though. Thankfully, the boy didn't move, only sat there as she summoned the courage to speak again.

Despite her knowing this was the flirty, pun-loving, idiot she dealt with on a regular basis, her demeanor of speaking so confidentially with Chat and so inept with Adrien… merged into a strange collection of conflicting mentalities that her mind was still trying to process.

"I couldn't react fast enough… but you've always been the braver one, leaping into action without regard for yourself," she detailed. "After that… I didn't know how to approach the problem. Not since my identity was still a secret but by some miracle or curse… it was me who found out yours."

"Oh… umm…" Adrien started, unsure what to say.

Marinette continued, knowing that if she stopped, she might be able to finish without losing her voice, "When patrol came… and you… brought everything up… I became unable to think straight. You know how I am around you…"

The blonde wasn't sure if it was really Ladybug at furst, but her account of things was adding up, his eyes widening slightly in recognition. His anger and despair at his lady came bubbling up, but the girl before him seemed so lost. This was the pure and kind Marinette that was his friend. His stomach felt twisted with conflicting emotions.

"You're… shy and have trouble talking to me," Adrien told her. "I always assumed it was because of that furst day of class. And maybe me being… me…"

"Y-yes! I mean… sort of?" she said, her tone far less confident than he was used to hearing from Ladybug. Marinette groaned. "I don't k-know. I just… I couldn't look at you after that and not be reduced to my usual stuttering mess, even as Ladybug, because suddenly the boy I love is one of my best friends and partner…" Her hands instantly released his arm and clapped over her mouth as she realized what she just said.

In doing so, she was now locking eyes with Adrien, whom looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"You… love me?"

The bluenette dipped her head down once more, mortified that after all the courage she attempted to summon on a regular basis… she basically let it slip like it was simply an aside.

"Milady?" came the sweet tone of the blonde in front of her, with Marinette unsure if she could look up and meet his gaze.

Adrien looked down at her, seeing her seem to cower on her knees, hands over her mouth and eyes ready to shed tears, with cheeks bright crimson after her impromptu confession.

Everything began to click into some weird semblance of the right place, the more he thought about it. He didn't quite understand all of her motives, but Marinette has always been a mystery to him and Ladybug has usually been quite unpredictable. To know they are one and the same… and that she was in love with him…

...it blew him away.

This girl in front of him not only looked regretful for everything she felt she was at fault for, real or imagined, but she appeared so afraid of rejection that it was affecting her so. At least, that's the way it looked.

After seeing him transform, then seeing him as Ladybug, then going on patrol and being confronted with everything he said. Not to mention… his ultimatum. The boy sighed, blaming himself for part of their mess.

"Princess?" the blonde cooed to her gently, raising a hand to rest upon her head and softly stroke her head. Marinette tensed beneath him, but made no moves to keep him from doing as he wished. "Are you ashamed of me to know?"

Her hands fell from her mouth, allowing her to speak, "I… don't feel like I deserve you. Especially after all I put you through today."

Despite her words, she leaned into his ministrations, relishing in the treatment she was receiving. He might be the cat… but right now she was being pet like one.

Rather abruptly, Adriens hand smoothly slipped under her chin and lifted it. He didn't use brute force but he didn't let her nervous stiffness deter him from raising her face to meet his gaze.

"Never think that, Marinette," he firmly told her, eyes full of warmth and an equally warming smile meeting her watery stare. "You deserve so much more than anything I can give you and I never want you believe you are not worth it."

He leaned in, breath washing over her cheeks and lips, making both feel further flushed with blood.

"If you don't want to believe it…" Adrien rasped, lips so close to hers that Marinette was frozen in place simply because she had no idea what to do.

The blonde closed the distance, pressing his lips to hers and using a hand behind her head to keep her from jerking away in embarrassment.

To her, it acted as an anchor… because she would have indeed reacted by pulling away and not known how to handle it. The kiss was gentle, but it still knocked every particle of air from her lungs somehow, making the small separations between each kiss loud with tentative gasps.

Her hands found purchase on his chest, fingers curling and grasping at his shirt, letting him kiss her until he pulled away to finish his sentence.

"...then I'll kiss you until you do."

A strangled laugh left her, a moment passing before she jested, "I think our lips might fall off before that happened…"

Adrien silenced her with another kiss…

He held it for several seconds, fingers weaving through her midnight blue hair, his other hand wrapped around her waist and tugging her into his lap.

Marinette tried to gasp, but her breathing was obstructed by the blonde's lips and heartfelt embrace. Her fingers curled, the tips tingling as she felt his warmth seep into her, giving her an indescribable feeling of glee. Through her palms, she could feel the hammering of his heart, almost matching the sound in her own ears from her heart.

Finally, he let her go, a rasping intake of breath consuming them both for several seconds after.

"Do you believe it now?" the boy asked her with a devious grin. Her cheeks became a slightly deeper flush, unable to deal with this forwardness from her crush.

When the bluenette didn't answer right away… he closed in for another kiss, lips brushing against hers.

She pushed away, still breathless and pleading, "W-wait… I believe it! Let me catch… my breath... please, Adrien."

His grin widened at her, responding to her plea by backing off, though still planting a very gentle kiss upon her blazing cheek.

"Did Milady enjoy herself?" Adrien practically purred.

With azure eyes flitting up and down, barely able to hold contact with his emerald ones, Marinette nodded slightly, resigning to burying her head in his chest.

With arms wrapping around her, drawing her deeper in, the girl was listening to his heartbeat…. Hearing it calm and pound powerfully in her ear.

She then arched an eyebrow in confusion… then smiled in realization upon a thrumming vibration shaking his chest.

"You _do_ purr, huh, Kitty?"

"Uh… no. Nope. You're hearing things," he sputtered, a blush now tainting his cheeks.

The bluenette pulled back, a semblance of confidence coming to her in light of the recent 'development'. Her finger found his chest, tracing circles as a teasing smile found its way onto her face.

"That's adorable," she cooed to him. "I mean… I remember it happening with Prime Queen before… but it's quite a different thing that it happens without being transformed."

Adrien's face was quite red as he grumbled, looking away, though the purring never stopped or waned. In fact, it seemed to only grow a bit louder as his Lady reached up to scratch under his chin, getting a pouting expression that made Marinette giggle a bit, feeling far more at ease with her Kitty.

"I'm only letting you do that because it makes you feel better…" the blonde mumbled, trying to sound like he was pouting.

"Sure. Sure… whatever you say, Tomcat," she teased him, feeling him lean into her scratches, making her squeal in delight that Adrien was enjoying this.

Time was lost as the blue-eyed girl settled her nerves by treating Adrien like the cat he seemed in that moment. The stare that settled on her from him bordered between bliss and intimate interest. There was a hint of begrudging acceptance, though he made no moves to stop her as her anxious disposition appeared to be greatly eased in her ministrations.

"I love you, Marinette," the boy sighed, with her going still and gasping. The girl was able to piece that together from everything she had already mulled over before… but it was still a great shock and comfort to hear, even considering what he knew now.

"I… um… I lo… you… t…" came her murmured reply.

Adrien gave her a roguish smirk, eyes locking on her, though her head had dipped.

"I'm sorry, Princess," the boy whispered in her ear. "I don't believe I caught what you said. Care to repeat it for me?"

Marinette's head tilted back up, a reaffirmed sense of resolve was clear on her face, coupled with a pervasive blush and gleaming sapphire eyes.

"I… I… I love you, too… Adrien," she voiced, keeping eye contact with him for a second or two…

...before caving into her nervous embarrassment and burying her face in his chest once more.

"Why are you so nervous with me still?" the blonde asked, trying to sound compassionate as he pet her head.

"I… it's… I've had a crush on you for so long…," she began to explain, "...and I always got so flustered around you, no matter what I tried. I know I was able to easily talk to Chat Noir… but with you merged as one, my heart doesn't know what to do. I'm a mess…"

"A hot mess, I might add, Milady," came her partner's flirty compliment.

Her brain short circuited, unable to handle the melted puddle of goo that he was turning her into as a strangled whimper left her lips. The bluenette shifted, her thighs shimmying upon hearing that.

"Thank… thank you,... Kitty," she offered, trying to not outright rebuke the compliment, as she would so often do by reflex. Calling him names she would as Ladybug was also helping diffuse her on and off nervous disposition.

"So… about that staying the night deal…" Adrien started, letting the words soak into her mind, "I don't suppose your parents would… uh… be okay with me sticking around for a bit? I don't actually plan to stay the night. I'm sure you wouldn't be able to…"

"It's fine, actually," she replied quickly. "My parents aren't around for the weekend anyways."

Her face went still upon realizing what she said…

...and what she felt like she implied. Looking at her recently requited love, Marinette was about to spill a motley collection of words to hastily explain that she didn't mean certain things she might have implied, but the blonde appeared completely unfazed by the mention.

Instead, he spoke, "So… we're safe from a rather abrupt interruption? That's good. I wasn't keen on explaining all this if we got discovered. Don't worry though, I won't spend the night. I'll call up Nino and I'm sure he'll…"

"You can stay," the bluenette offered, looking to the side, unable to make eye contact. "I don't mind."

"O… okay," the boy replied simply, not wanting to refuse her very generous offer. He was also secretly glad not to go through the effort of having to find other accommodations for his errors, as well as happy he could be in her company for a night.

After a short time of embrace and some more tentative kisses between the two, Marinette and Adrien began to make ready for sleep.

The blonde, however, became confused when his Princess began to get comfy on the chaise.

"Why are you setting up over there?" he asked, face full of an innocence that the bluenette almost envied as her cheeks heated up once again.

"Well… I'm letting you take my bed," she detailed evenly.

"Why not share the bed? That thing doesn't look like it gives a comfortable night's sleep."

His pure expression of confusion and disassociation with what he implied was almost too much for Marinette. In her eyes, it was somewhat adorable, though she didn't know how to explain it.

"That's… well… O… Okay," she relented, shuffling over to the bed and bringing the items from the chaise back to their original place.

She laid down, scooching over to the far side of the bed and curling up, hugging a pillow with her eyes peeking over the edge. Her azure eyes locked onto him, the gravity and implications of the situation now hitting Adrien like a hammer to the heart.

"Uh… right…" he murmured.

Muffled by the pillow, Marinette told him, "Get over here, Kitty, before I lose the nerve to sit still any longer."

True enough, her feet seemed to shuffle back and forth, as if a restless manner to calm her nerves.

The boy climbed into the bed gently, as if leaping in too fast might break something else in the room.

Curled up opposite her, the blonde stared into her wide eyes and blushed, rubbing the back of his head as he smiled awkwardly, though quite truly.

Marinette giggled.

"There's the smile I fell in love with. You don't have to put up that cracked smile around me."

"Cracked smile?" the confused teen questioned.

She nodded, saying, "Sometimes you have this smile that seems… 'broken'... like showing it is hiding some terrible pain. You wear it often and it's heartbreaking to see."

"I didn't know that was so easy to catch…" Adrien lamented quietly.

The bluenette reached out to pet his head once more, shifting herself closer to allow better access to his golden locks. He in turn lowered his head and rested it against her chest, just under her chin, as she stroked him softly.

"I think I have a bit of an unfair point of view in that respect," she reminded him. "I did kinda crush on you for a long while and took to staring at you almost overly much."

A lighthearted chuckle left him, another purring session starting up from deep within his chest.

It was her turn to chuckle slightly, telling him, "You don't have to put up that front with me though, silly Kitty. I love you. All of you."

"Same here, Milady… Same here."

The two calmly took comfort in one another, the silence only tempered by their breathing as it too calmed.

After that, the only thing either one could hear was the soft and slow beat of the other's heart, each seeming to match the other in tempo as they fell into the warm embrace of one another and sleep thusly following.

* * *

 **Alrighty then!**

 **That was fun. Don't judge me too harshly. I've been so busy as to be unable to properly devote much effort and time writing, so I feel like I'm a bit rusty, though I hope I've done well enough.**

 **I do want to clear up a few things I'm sure will be a curiosity to most.**

 **(Spoilers for season 2) Those who have watched it know that Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth. So... why would he believe Adrien's lie when he so clearly was privy to the event and partial surroundings? My implication here is that he felt so guilty for doing as he had, that he was willing to give his son the space he wanted for a night, regardless of what the boy decided to use as an excuse.**

 **Second thing: I've never truly seen Hawk Moth's ability to be all encompassing towards knowing every little detail about those he targets. Therefore, I don't think he would instantly know that his son is Chat Noir by possession alone. By my observations, his power is more empathic towards general ideas. that seems ironic since he seems to never understand the slew of negative emotions he inflicts upon his son.**

 **Third thing: Chat tries taking off his ring instead of just releasing his transformation. easy explanation... he's a dramatic one.**

 **Lastly, for now... the ending might seem a bit flip flop on the emotional side. well guess what? they're teenagers. That's sort of a thing for those that remember it. You're all emotional about the smallest fears one moment and suspiciously calm about something that should be a huge deal the next.**

 **Now then... onto the explanation of my absence.**

 **Most of it will be a bit cryptic because of things I don't want to describe in detail.**

 **So... Back when I halted my writing, My girlfriend ended up hospitalized (for what, I dont want to explain.). Suffice it to say that there were some concerns that needed regular visits to a professional. I stopped doing anything in a writing capacity, since it takes up free time, and focused on her well being.**

 **She was on medical leave from work and I was the only working individual for a while. No big deal, right?**

 **Well her workplace bungled up the paperwork to pay her for her disability during that time, not to mention her medical bills.**

 **That placed more on me to make sure to not only cover our bills alone, but help in any capacity towards her medical needs, financial or emotional.**

 **It didn't help that I took up a training course that was unpaid but provided a potential opportunity that neither of us could pass up, thus limiting how much time I had for work and pay.**

 **Basically, for about 3-4 months, little pay, working two ish jobs (with one unpaid until I completed the training regimen), a girlfriend unable to work, medical leave pay in limbo, and a few other little problems.**

 **I've finally finished the training and got the job I so sorely needed, my girlfriend is back to work and banking money, and I'm recovering from so much time of probably the most strenuous time of my life. Sure, there are plenty others with much worse issues, but I'm just mentioning what I dealt with.**

 **for those who read that... Thanks for going through that. Lol.**

 **Now about that P ...atreon stuff... i have only three tiers so far. the 1 dollar is basically a small donation. 5 is early access to chapters by 3 days. 13 is early access and exclusive access to all WIPs (excluding certain things)**

 **Until next time, Hope you're all feline well. XD**


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